JPH1199659A - Ink cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink cartridge in which a negative pressure can be applied to ink being supplied to a print head without requiring an ink supply pressure regulating means. SOLUTION: When an ink package 33 is housed in an ink cartridge 30 and then the ink cartridge 30 is slid in the direction of an arrow X, an ink extraction member 22 is inserted into a through hole 31a covered with a sealing member 31b and then the ink extraction member 22 is thrust into the ink encapsulating part 33a of the ink package 33. Consequently, ink is supplied to a print head through an ink supply tube 23, or the like. Since the cartridge body 31 and the cartridge cover 32 of the ink cartridge 30 are made of a rigid material and the sealing member 31b comprises a laminate film member of a plurality of film sheets composed of polyethylene resin, or the like, the ink being supplied to the print head is kept at a negative pressure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink cartridge capable of applying a negative pressure to ink supplied to a print head without using ink supply pressure adjusting means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an ink jet printing apparatus, printing is performed by discharging ink supplied to a print head from a plurality of nozzles. In such a printing device,
In order to maintain the printing result in good quality, it is necessary to maintain the dischargeability of the ink discharged from the print head in a preferable state. This ink discharge property is maintained by the liquid surface of the ink supplied into the nozzles of the print head forming a concave meniscus (curved surface). Such a meniscus ink liquid surface is formed by adjusting the ink supply pressure of the ink supplied into the nozzles of the print head to a negative pressure.

[0003] The adjustment of the ink supply pressure is performed by the height difference between the print head and the ink package. For example,
By arranging the ink package around the lower part of the print head, a height difference occurs between the two and a head difference of negative pressure occurs, and the ink supply pressure is adjusted to negative pressure. However, a transport mechanism or the like for transporting the printing paper is usually provided below the print head, so that the location and space for disposing the ink package are limited. Therefore, in order to dispose the ink package at a limited position or space, the capacity of the ink package had to be reduced, and the ink package had to be replaced frequently.

Therefore, a method has been proposed in which a small sub-tank is provided below the print head and a large-capacity ink package is separately provided as a main tank at a desired position. According to this method, the ink in the ink package is supplied by pump-up to a sub-tank arranged below and around the print head, and the ink supplied to the sub-tank is printed by adjusting the ink supply pressure to a negative pressure. It is supplied to the head. Since the small sub-tank has a small capacity, it can be easily arranged around the lower part of the print head. Moreover, since the large-capacity ink package is separately provided at a desired position, it is not necessary to frequently replace the ink package.

[0005]

However, according to the adjustment of the ink supply pressure using the above-described sub-tank, the ink is pumped up from the sub-tank or the ink package for adjusting the ink supply pressure to the negative pressure to the sub-tank. Pump device and the like are required. Therefore, there is a problem that the number of components of the printing apparatus increases, and the size of the printing apparatus increases, and the manufacturing cost of the printing apparatus increases. In addition, there is a problem that the driving power of the pump device and the like is required, and the power consumption of the printing device is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and provides an ink cartridge which can apply a negative pressure to ink supplied to a print head without using ink supply pressure adjusting means. It is intended to be.

[0007]

In order to achieve this object, an ink cartridge according to the first aspect of the present invention seals an ink supplied to a print head and used for printing, and is made of polyethylene resin or the like. An ink package formed of a film material having a laminated structure in which a plurality of film sheets are stacked, a container body formed of a rigid material enclosing the ink package, and an opening provided in a part of the container body And an airtight holding member that covers the opening and holds the airtightness of the container body.

According to the ink cartridge of the present invention, the extraction of the ink sealed in the ink package is performed by, for example, an ink extraction needle. In this case, when an ink extraction needle or the like is inserted into an airtight holding member that covers an opening provided in a part of the container body, the inserted ink extraction needle or the like is inserted into the opening, and the container is inserted. Penetrated into the body. Furthermore, if the ink extraction needle or the like is continuously inserted, the tip portion is inserted into the ink package and penetrates into the ink package. Thus, the ink sealed in the ink package is extracted by the ink extraction needle or the like, supplied to the print head, and used for printing by the print head.

Since the opening of the container of the ink cartridge is covered with an airtight holding member, the airtightness of the container is maintained even if a needle or the like for extracting ink is inserted.
Infiltration of air or the like into the container body can be prevented. In addition, since the container is formed of a rigid material, it is possible to suppress a change in the shape of the container due to a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the container. Therefore, even if the internal pressure of the ink package is reduced by extracting the ink from the ink package, since the shape deformation of the container body is suppressed, the pressure inside the container body can be maintained at a negative pressure. Therefore, the internal pressure of the ink package encapsulated in the container body can be maintained at a negative pressure without using ink supply pressure adjusting means for maintaining the pressure applied to the ink supplied to the print head at a negative pressure. .

Further, since the ink package is formed of a film material having a laminated structure in which a plurality of film sheets made of polyethylene resin or the like are laminated, when an ink extraction needle or the like is stabbed into the ink package. ,
The film material forming the ink package is in close contact with the ink extraction needle or the like, so that it is possible to prevent ink leakage from the ink package and intrusion of air or the like into the ink package.

The ink cartridge according to claim 2 is
2. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the ink package includes an ink sealing portion that seals the ink, and a portion of the outer surface of the ink sealing portion that faces the opening of the container body has a substantially flat or concave shape. 3. It is formed in a shape. According to the ink cartridge according to the second aspect, the ink cartridge operates in the same manner as the ink cartridge according to the first aspect, and the ink extraction needle or the like inserted into the opening of the container body is substantially equivalent to the ink sealing section. It is stabbed into a flat or concave outer surface and penetrates into the ink seal.

The ink cartridge according to claim 3 is
The ink cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the substantially flat or concave outer surface of the ink sealing portion is formed by welding both side portions of the film material.
It is formed on a surface that intersects the welded both sides.

[0013] The ink cartridge according to claim 4 is
A container body formed of a rigid material filled with ink to be supplied to the print head and used for printing, an opening provided in a part of the container body, and the container body covering the opening. And an airtight holding member for maintaining airtightness.

According to the ink cartridge of the present invention, the ink filled in the container is extracted by, for example, an ink extraction needle. In this case, when an ink extraction needle or the like is inserted into an airtight holding member that covers an opening provided in a part of the container body, the inserted ink extraction needle or the like is inserted into the opening, and the container is inserted. Penetrated into the body. The ink filled in the container is extracted by the ink extracting needle or the like, supplied to the print head, and used for printing by the print head.

Since the opening of the container body of the ink cartridge is covered with an airtight holding member, the airtightness of the container body is maintained even if a needle or the like for extracting ink is inserted.
Infiltration of air or the like into the container body can be prevented. In addition, since the container is formed of a rigid material, it is possible to suppress a change in the shape of the container due to a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the container. Therefore, even if the internal pressure of the container body is reduced by extracting the ink from the container body, the shape change of the container body is suppressed, so that the ink applied to the ink supplied to the print head is maintained at a negative pressure. The container can be maintained at a negative pressure without using the supply pressure adjusting means.

[0016] The ink cartridge according to claim 5 is
5. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the airtight holding member is formed of a film material having a laminated structure in which a plurality of film sheets made of polyethylene resin or the like are laminated. Therefore, when inserting a needle or the like for ink extraction into the opening of the container body, the film material forming the airtight holding member is in close contact with the needle or the like for ink extraction, so that the airtightness of the container body is maintained, Infiltration of air or the like into the container body can be prevented.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a desktop printer 1 using an ink cartridge 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial sectional conceptual view of a nozzle portion 21 a of a print head 21. The desktop printer 1 includes a printer main body 2 formed in a substantially box-like body.
And a printer cartridge 3 which is detachably mounted on the upper part thereof and has a print head 21 mounted thereon, and an ink cartridge 30 in which an ink package 33 is stored. In FIG. 1, the body frame 1 of the printer body 2 is shown.
2, the paper carry-out port 13, the head moving groove 14, and the cartridge frame 26 of the printer cartridge 3 are shown by two-dot chain lines. The arrow X in FIG. 1 indicates the mounting direction of the ink cartridge 30.

The body frame 12 of the printer body 2 includes
A platen roller 4, which is a transport roller for transporting the printing paper PP (see FIG. 2), is rotatably supported on a shaft, and a guide rod 17 is fixed in a state parallel to the platen roller 4. A driven gear 4a is attached to a left end portion of the platen roller 4, and the driven gear 4a
The gear is meshed with a drive gear 5 a rotated by the F motor 5. Therefore, by rotating the LF motor 5,
The printing paper PP can be conveyed by rotating the platen roller 4. The guide rod 17 is slidably fitted to the carriage 6, and supports the carriage 6 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the printing paper PP is transported. In FIG. 1, a part of the guide rod 17 is not shown.

The carriage 6 includes the printer cartridge 3
The carriage motor 7 is mounted on the right end of the main body frame 12.
Drive pulley 7a rotated by the main body frame 1
2 can reciprocate in a direction parallel to the guide rod 17 and the platen roller 4, that is, in the longitudinal direction of the printer main body 2, via a belt 7c stretched between a driven pulley 7b provided at the left end of the printer body 2. it can. Therefore,
The print head 21 mounted on the carriage 6 can reciprocate in the longitudinal direction of the printer body 2 to perform printing on the print paper PP. It should be noted that the belt 7c is illustrated with a part thereof omitted to facilitate understanding of the platen roller 4 and the guide rod 17.

At the left end of the printer body 2, a plurality of nozzle openings 21b of the nozzle 21a of the print head 21 are provided.
Suction cap 8 capable of sealing (see FIG. 2)
And the nozzle portion 2 sealed by the suction cap 8
A suction pump 9 for sucking the ink in the nozzle port 21b of 1a is provided. When performing a process (purge process) for recovering the ink ejection state by the suction cap 8 and the suction pump 9, the carriage 6 on which the print head 21 is mounted is moved to the left side of the desktop printer 1 by the carriage motor 7. Then, each nozzle port 21b of the nozzle section 21a in the print head 21 is sealed with the suction cap 8. Thereafter, when the suction pump 9 is operated, bubbles and dried and solidified ink are sucked from the nozzle port 21b, and the ejection state of the nozzle port 21b of the nozzle section 21a can be recovered. In addition, this purging process
This is performed when the concave meniscus M (see FIG. 2) formed by the ink liquid level filled in the nozzle opening 21b is broken due to ink clogging or the like.

At the left side of the suction cap 8, there is a protective cap 10 which is placed over the nozzle 21 a of the print head 21.
Are arranged. The protective cap 10 is used for the print head 2
1, when the printing is not performed, that is, when the carriage 6 is in the standby state, the nozzle portion 21a is covered, the ink inside the nozzle portion 21a is prevented from evaporating, and the ink in each nozzle port 21b is prevented from drying. Is what you do.

At the lower part of the printer main body 2, there is provided a control circuit board 11 on which a CPU 11a for controlling the desktop printer 1 in accordance with a control program relating to the operation contents of the desktop printer 1 is mounted. A PC card 15 is connected to the control circuit board 11 via a connection cord 16. The PC card 15 is inserted into a PC card slot of a personal computer (not shown) and inputs print data and the like output from the personal computer to the desktop printer 1. The desktop printer 1 has a PC card 15 inserted into a PC card slot.
Power is supplied from the personal computer via the connection cord 16.

On the side wall on the front side of the main body frame 12 of the printer main body 2, printed printing paper PP is printed.
A paper outlet 13 is carried out. Unused printing paper PP is sent to the printer main body 2 at a position on the back side wall of the main body frame 12, that is, a side wall facing the side wall where the paper exit 13 is formed and facing the paper exit 13. A paper insertion opening (not shown) for insertion is provided. Further, since a rectangular head moving groove 14 is formed in the upper surface of the main body frame 12, when the printer cartridge 3 is attached to the printer main body 2,
The print head 21 can be mounted on the carriage 6 via the head moving groove 14.

The printer cartridge 3 is detachably formed in the printer main body 2, and includes a print head 21, an ink extraction member 22, an ink supply tube 23, mounting members 24 and 25, and the print head 21 and the like. And a cartridge frame 26 formed in a box shape for storage. The print head 21 includes a nozzle portion 21a formed of a piezo element (piezoelectric element). As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle portion 21a is provided with a plurality of nozzle ports (ink discharge ports) 21b. Each nozzle opening 21b is filled with ink supplied from the ink cartridge 30. Nozzle 21a composed of this piezo element
Is applied, a distortion proportional to the voltage is generated in the nozzle portion 21a, and each nozzle port 21b contracts. Due to this contraction, the ink filled in each of the nozzle openings 21b is discharged onto the printing paper PP to perform printing.

Each nozzle port 21b is approximately 180 d
The print head 21 is arranged at intervals of pi, and the carriage 6 on which the print head 21 is mounted moves forward or backward in the longitudinal direction of the printer main body 2 (see FIG. 1), so that printing at a resolution of 180 dpi can be performed. It has become.

When a meniscus M having a concave ink liquid surface below the inside of each nozzle port 21b is formed, the ink ejection property is maintained and a clear printing result can be obtained. The meniscus M having a concave surface is provided at each nozzle port 21.
By maintaining the ink supply pressure of the ink filled in the nozzle b at a negative pressure, the ink is formed in each nozzle opening 21b. For example, in the print head 21 used in this embodiment, the ink supply pressure is approximately 0 mmAq (water column) or more with respect to the atmospheric pressure.
Within a range (print head operating pressure range) of approximately -300 mmAq (water column) or less, it is possible to form a meniscus M in which the ink liquid level in each nozzle port 21b is concave. The method of maintaining the ink supply pressure at a negative pressure will be described together with an ink cartridge 30 described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, a mounting member 24 for connecting the print head 21 and one end of the ink supply tube 23 is disposed above the print head 21. The end is attached to the ink extraction member 22 via the attachment member 25. The ink extraction member 22 is for extracting ink from the ink package 33 housed in the ink cartridge 30. The ink extracted by the ink extraction member 22 is supplied to the ink supply tube 23 and the attachment members 24,2.
5 to the print head 21. The ink supply tube 23 is integrally formed with a harness (not shown) for supplying electric power for driving the print head 21.

The ink extracting member 22 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel having corrosion resistance, a ceramic material, or the like.
The ink penetrated into 3a and sealed inside is extracted. The ink extraction member 22 is formed in a hollow needle-like body (see FIG. 4), and an ink extraction port 22a for extracting the ink in the ink sealing portion 33a is formed at a tip portion thereof. Therefore, the ink extraction member 22
And a through hole 31a covered with a sealing member 31b (see FIG. 4)
When the ink cartridge 30 in which the ink package 33 is housed is slid in the direction indicated by the arrow X, the tip of the ink extracting member 22 is
Cartridge 3 penetrating through hole 31a covered with
It penetrates into 0. When the sliding of the ink cartridge 30 is further continued, the leading end portion of the ink extracting member 22 is stabbed into the concave portion 33b of the ink package 33, penetrates into the ink sealing portion 33a, and the attachment of the ink cartridge to the printer cartridge 3 is completed. (Two-dot chain line in FIG. 1). After the mounting of the ink cartridge 30 is completed, the ink in the ink package 33 flows into the hollow ink extraction member 22 from the ink extraction port 22a.

As described above, the ink that has flowed into the ink extracting member 22 flows into the ink supply tube 23 via the mounting member 25, and is further supplied to the print head 21 via the mounting member 24. The outer diameter d of the ink extracting member 22 (see FIG. 4) will be described together with an ink cartridge 30 described later.

Next, the ink cartridge 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge 30. The ink cartridge 30 is
It is for storing ink to be supplied to the print head, and is formed detachably in the printer cartridge 3 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 4, the ink cartridge 30 includes an ink package 3 in which ink is sealed.
3, a cartridge body 31 in which the ink package 33 is stored, and a cartridge lid 32 covered by the cartridge body 31. The cartridge body 31 and the cartridge lid 32 are made of a material having rigidity (rigid material), for example, AB having excellent mechanical strength.
It is made of a synthetic resin such as S resin or a metal material such as stainless steel.

The cartridge body 31 is formed in a substantially hollow box-like body, and the upper part thereof is opened to accommodate the ink package 33. This cartridge body 31
When the ink package 33 is stored in the cartridge main body 31, the cartridge lid 32 is covered on the opened upper portion of the cartridge main body 31. After the cartridge lid 32 is covered, the cartridge lid 32 is welded to the cartridge main body 31, and the cartridge lid 32 is attached to the cartridge main body 31. As a result, the ink package 33 is stored in the ink cartridge 30 in a sealed state. When the cartridge lid 32 is attached, the cartridge main body 31 and the cartridge lid 32 are not welded to each other, and an attachment member and the like are provided on each of them. The gap between the main body 31 and the cartridge lid 32 may be sealed with silicon or the like.

A through hole 31a is formed in the left side wall of the cartridge main body 31 to penetrate the ink extracting member 22, and a sealing member 31b is attached to the side wall surface of the cartridge body 31 by welding while covering the through hole 31a. Have been. The seal member 31b is for maintaining the airtightness of the ink cartridge 30, and is made of a laminated film material in which a plurality of, for example, about ten, film sheets made of polyethylene resin or the like are laminated. I have. When the ink extraction member 22 is stabbed into the seal member 31b, the laminated structure film material forming the seal member 31b has a property (adhesion) of being closely attached to the outer peripheral surface of the stabbed ink extraction member 22. I have. Therefore, intrusion of air or the like into the ink cartridge 30 from the penetrated through hole 31a of the ink extraction member 22 is prevented, and the airtightness of the ink cartridge 30 can be maintained. When attaching the seal member 31b to the cartridge body 31,
An adhesive or the like may be applied to the seal member 31 and attached to the side wall surface of the cartridge body 31 in which the through hole 31a is formed.

The ink package 33 is formed in a substantially rectangular bag, and has a laminated structure in which a plurality of, for example, about ten, film sheets made of polyethylene resin or the like are laminated, similar to the sealing member 31b. It is composed of a film material. Therefore, when the ink extracting member 22 is stabbed into the ink package 33, the ink package 3
3 is prevented, and the ingress of air or the like into the ink package 33 is prevented. In particular, since the entry of air and the like into the ink package 33 is prevented, the entry of air and the like into the ink supplied to the print head 21 is prevented. Therefore,
Since the meniscus M of the ink filled in the plurality of nozzle openings 21b of the print head 21 is prevented from being destroyed, the ink ejection property of the print head 21 can be maintained.

An ink sealing portion 33a is formed substantially at the center of the ink package 33, and the ink used for printing is sealed inside the ink sealing portion 33a. This ink sealing section 33
A concave portion 33b is formed at the left edge portion of a, and welded portions 33c, 33d, and 33e are formed at other edge portions. The concave portion 33b is a portion into which the ink extraction member 22 is stabbed, and both end portions are supported by the welded portions 33c and 33d, so that the concave portion 33b is formed in a substantially concave shape in a top view. Therefore, by piercing the ink extracting member 22 into the concave portion 33b, the ink extracting member 22 can easily penetrate into the ink sealing portion 33a of the ink package 33. Further, since the concave portion 33b and the side wall of the cartridge main body 31 where the through hole 31a is formed are opposed to each other, the tip of the ink extraction member 22 penetrating through the through hole 31a covered with the seal member 31b is It can be easily inserted into the concave portion 33b.

When the ink package 33 is stored in the ink cartridge 30, the ink package 33
The welded portions 33c, 33d, and 33e of the ink package 33 may be folded and stored.
33d and 33e may be cut and stored in the cartridge body 31.

The method of manufacturing the ink package 33 is as follows. First, a rectangular laminated film material is superposed in a two-fold state, and one side of the superposed edge part is opposed to the half-folded edge part. Is welded to form a weld 33e
To form a hollow cylindrical body. The hollow cylindrical body is open at both edges facing each other, so that one of them is welded to form a welded portion 33c, and the welded portion 33c is formed.
An edge portion where d is formed is formed into an open bag. After the formation of the bag, ink is injected into the bag from the open portion. After the ink is injected, the portion facing the welding portion 33c is welded, and when the welding portion 33d is formed, the concave portion 33b is formed at the edge portion of the ink sealing portion 33a and the ink is sealed inside the ink sealing portion 33a. The ink package 33 is formed at one end of the above-described bag. After the formation of the ink package 33, the welding portion 33d is cut, and the ink package 33 is separated from the bag, thereby completing the manufacture of the ink package 33. When the ink is injected, by maintaining the internal pressure P of the ink sealing portion 33a at a positive pressure, it is possible to prevent air or the like from entering the ink sealing portion 33a of the unused ink package 33.

Next, a method for maintaining the ink supply pressure of the ink supplied to the print head 21 at a negative pressure will be described. Since the cartridge body 31 and the cartridge lid 32 of the ink cartridge 30 are each made of a rigid material having excellent mechanical strength, the shape change is suppressed. Therefore, when the ink is extracted from the ink sealing portion 33a of the ink package 33 by the ink extracting member 22 and the internal pressure in the ink cartridge 30 decreases, the ink cartridge 30 is not crushed by the atmosphere or the like. Can be maintained at a negative pressure. Accordingly, since the internal pressure of the ink sealing portion 33a of the ink package 33 housed in a sealed state in the ink cartridge 30 whose internal pressure is maintained at the negative pressure is also maintained at the negative pressure, the ink extracted by the ink extracting member 22 is maintained. Is supplied to the print head 21,
The ink supply pressure can be maintained at a negative pressure.

The cartridge body 31 has a through hole 31a.
Is formed of the above-described laminated structure film material, so that when the ink extracting member 22 is stabbed, the sealing member 31b adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the stabbed ink extracting member 22 (adhesion). It has. Therefore, the airtightness of the ink cartridge 30 is maintained, and the infiltration of air or the like into the ink cartridge 30 from the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the ink extraction member 22 and the film material forming the seal member 31b can be prevented. In particular, the ink extraction member 2
When the ink is extracted (ink consumption) by the step 2, the infiltration of air or the like into the ink cartridge 30 is prevented, so that the ink inside the ink sealing portion 31a of the ink package 33 housed in the ink cartridge 30 is removed. The volume corresponding to the consumed amount is not replaced by air or the like. Therefore, the inside of the ink cartridge 30 is maintained at the negative pressure, and the internal pressure of the ink sealing portion 33a of the ink package 30 can be maintained at the negative pressure.

Next, the relationship between the close contact between the ink package 33 and the ink extracting member 22 and the outer diameter d of the ink extracting member 22 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the outer diameter d of the ink extraction member 22 and the pressing force F applied to the ink package 33. The pressing force F means that when the ink extraction member 22 having a different outer diameter d is inserted into the ink package 33 and then the ink package 33 is pressed in the thickness direction, the ink extraction member 22 The pressing force that comes out of the package 33. The ink package 33 uses a laminated structure film material having a thickness w of about 100 μm.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ink extracting member 2
As the outer diameter d of No. 2 increases, the pressing force F with which the ink extracting member 22 comes out of the ink package 33 decreases. Based on the result, the outer diameter d of the ink extraction member 22 is set to maintain the close contact between the outer peripheral surface of the ink extraction member 22 inserted into the ink package 33 and the laminated structure film material of the ink package 33. It is formed approximately 5 mm or less.

The ink cartridge 3 thus formed
0 and the ink extraction member 22,
By supplying ink to the ink, the ink supply pressure is maintained at a negative pressure. Therefore, there is no need for a sub-tank or a pump device for ink supply (ink supply pressure adjusting means) around the lower part of the print head 21 for reducing the ink supply pressure, and the number of components of the desktop printer 1 is reduced. Manufacturing costs can be reduced. Further, since the ink supply pump and the like are not required, the power consumption of the desktop printer 1 can be reduced.

Next, referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4,
A method of assembling the desktop printer 1 will be described. First, as shown in FIG.
The ink package 33 is housed in the cartridge body 31 by bending or cutting the cartridges 33e. After the storage of the ink package 33, the cartridge lid 32 is covered on the upper part of the cartridge main body 31, the cartridge main body 31 and the cartridge lid 32 are welded, and the ink package 33 is stored in the ink cartridge 30 while being sealed. You.

The through hole 31a of the ink cartridge 30
When the ink cartridge 30 is slid in the direction of arrow X while the ink extraction member 22 and the ink extraction member 22 face each other, the through holes 31
The tip portion of the ink extraction member 22 is stabbed into the seal member 31b covering a, and the tip portion of the ink extraction member 22 is inserted into the through hole 31a. After the insertion of the ink extraction member 22,
The ink extracting member 22 is easily inserted into the ink sealing portion 33a from the concave portion 33b of the ink package 33 housed in the ink cartridge 30. Further, since the concave portion 33b of the ink package 33 is supported at both ends by the welded portions 33c and 33d, the ink sealing portion 3 due to the load accompanying the stab of the ink extracting member 22 is formed.
The deformation of 3a can be suppressed.

When the ink cartridge 30 is further slid in the direction of arrow X, the ink cartridge 30 reaches the position indicated by the two-dot chain line (left side in FIG. The mounting on the cartridge 3 is completed. On this occasion,
Since the laminated structure film material forming the seal member 31b and the laminated structure film material forming the ink package 33 and the outer peripheral surface of the ink extracting member 22 are in close contact with each other, infiltration of air or the like into the ink cartridge 30 is prevented, Ink leakage from the ink package 33 and entry of air or the like into the ink package 33 are prevented.

The ink sealing portion 33 of the ink package 33
The ink extraction member 22 inserted into the mounting member 2a extracts ink through the ink extraction port 22a.
The ink flows into the ink supply tube 23 through the ink supply tube 5. The ink flowing into the ink supply tube 23 is supplied to the print head 21 via the mounting member 24. Since the ink cartridge 30 is made of a rigid material, its shape change is suppressed. Therefore, even if the ink is extracted from the ink sealing portion 33a of the ink package 33 using the ink extracting member 22 and the internal pressure of the ink cartridge 30 is reduced, the ink cartridge 30 is not crushed to the atmospheric pressure or the like. The internal pressure of the cartridge 30 is maintained at a negative pressure.

Therefore, since the internal pressure of the ink sealing portion 33a of the ink package 33 sealed in the ink cartridge 30 is also maintained at a negative pressure, the ink extracted by the ink extracting member 22 is supplied to the print head 21. In addition, the ink supply pressure of the ink can be maintained at a negative pressure. Therefore, the meniscus M can be formed in each nozzle opening 21b, so that the ink ejection property of the print head 21 is maintained, and a clear print result can be obtained.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the printer cartridge 3 is mounted on the printer main body 2 while the print head 21 of the printer cartridge 3 is mounted on the carriage 6 of the printer main body 2. When the PC card 15 of the desktop printer 1 is inserted into the PC slot of the personal computer after the printer cartridge 3 is mounted, the desktop printer 1 can transmit and receive print data and the like to and from the personal computer, and can receive power from the personal computer. Receiving the supply, it becomes operable.

When the desktop printer 1 receives the transmission of the print data from the personal computer, the desktop printer 1
Print on P. In this case, first, the unused printing paper P
When P is inserted into the paper insertion slot (not shown), the printing paper PP is transported by the platen roller 4 along the transport path below the print head 21. Conveyed printing paper PP
When passing through the transport path below the print head 21,
Printing is performed with ink ejected from each nozzle port 21b of the print head 21 (see FIG. 2), and the printed printing paper PP is carried out from the paper outlet 13.

Next, a desk printer 100 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The desktop printer 100 of the second embodiment is the same as the desktop printer 1 of the first embodiment.
Of the printer cartridge 3 of FIG. Hereinafter, the same portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted, and only different portions will be described. still,
FIG. 5 shows a desktop printer 1 using the ink package 33.
It is an exploded perspective view of 00.

The printer cartridge 103 of the desktop printer 100 has a print head 121 of the same type as the print head 21 disposed adjacent to the print head 21. The print head 121, like the print head 21, includes a nozzle portion 21a at a lower portion thereof and a plurality of nozzle ports 21b provided on a lower surface of the nozzle portion 21a. Also,
Each nozzle port 21b of the print head 121 is connected to the print head 2
In the front-back direction (the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the printer cartridge 3) with respect to each of the
It is provided at an interval of 0 dpi. Therefore, when printing is performed using both the print heads 21 and 121, the carriage 6 on which the print heads 21 and 121 are mounted moves forward or backward in the longitudinal direction of the printer main body 2.
Printing at a resolution of 360 dpi can be performed. Therefore, compared to the desktop printer 1 of the first embodiment, high-resolution printing can be performed in a short time.

Since the printer main body 2 of the desktop printer 100 is shared with the desktop printer 1 of the first embodiment, the printer cartridge 103 is replaced with the printer cartridge 3 of the first embodiment, whereby the desktop printer 100 is replaced. Can be used as 1.

Next, a desktop printer 200 according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The desktop printer 200 of the third embodiment is different from the desktop printer 1 of the first embodiment described above.
Printer cartridge 3 and ink cartridge 3
0 is changed. Hereinafter, the same portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted, and only different portions will be described. FIG. 6 shows the ink package 3
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a desktop printer 200 that uses No. 3;

The printer cartridge 203 of the desktop printer 200 has four ink cartridges 30 mounted thereon. Each ink cartridge 30 has four colors of black, yellow, cyan, and magenta in order from the top in FIG. An ink package 33 in which ink is sealed is stored. These four colors of ink are ejected from a plurality of nozzle openings (not shown) provided in the print heads 221 and 222, and full-color printing is performed on the printing paper PP.

Since the printer main body 2 of the desktop printer 200 is common to the desktop printers 1 and 100 of the first and second embodiments, the printer cartridge 203 can be replaced with the printer cartridge 3 or the second cartridge of the first embodiment. By replacing with the printer cartridge 103 of the embodiment,
It can be used as the desktop printer 1 or the desktop printer 100.

The mounting positions of the ink extracting members 22 on the mounting members 25 are respectively set at different positions in the front-rear direction in FIG. 6, and the through holes 31a of the ink cartridges 30 are connected to the respective ink extracting members 22. It is drilled corresponding to the position. Therefore, when the ink cartridges 30 are installed in the printer cartridge 203, unless the ink cartridges 30 are always installed in the order of black, yellow, cyan, and magenta from the top in FIG.
Each of the ink extracting members 22 cannot be inserted into each of the through holes 31a. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent color mixing of ink due to mounting of the wrong ink cartridge 30.

As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. That can be easily inferred.

For example, in this embodiment, a through hole 31a is formed in one side wall of the cartridge body 31, and the through hole 31a is covered with a seal member 31b. However, such an ink cartridge is not necessarily limited to this, and the entire surface of one side wall of the cartridge body of the ink cartridge may be opened, and the above-described laminated film material may be welded to the entire surface of the opened side wall. .

In this embodiment, the ink package 33 in which the ink is sealed is housed in the ink cartridge 30. However, such an ink cartridge is not necessarily limited to this, and the ink may be directly sealed inside the ink cartridge without using an ink package. In this case, the internal pressure of the ink cartridge can be prevented from being excessively reduced by forming a part of the ink cartridge with an elastic sheet material or the like. Therefore, the ink supply pressure of the ink supplied to the print head can be maintained within the print head operating pressure range. Also,
By configuring such an elastic sheet material or the like with the above-described laminated film material, it is not necessary to separately provide a seal member into which the ink extracting member 22 is pierced, and the manufacturing cost of the ink cartridge can be reduced. still,
When the ink is directly sealed inside the ink cartridge, the ink cartridge is made of a material compatible with the ink used for printing, for example, polyoxymethylene (PO
M) It is good to form with resin etc.

In this embodiment, the above-mentioned laminated film material is used for the seal member 31b. However, such a seal member is not necessarily limited to this, and may be replaced with, for example, a packing made of NBR (acrylonitrile dibutaene rubber) or the like. Further, the packing or the like may be used in combination with the seal member 31b made of the above-mentioned laminated film material. As described above, by attaching the packing or the like to the through hole 31a, if the ink cartridge 30 once mounted is removed from the printer cartridge 3, ink leakage from the ink cartridge 30 or air to the ink cartridge 30 may occur. And the like are prevented from entering.

[0060]

According to the ink cartridge of the present invention, since the opening of the container is covered with the airtight holding member, the container can be inserted even if an ink extraction needle or the like is inserted. The airtightness of the container is maintained, and intrusion of air or the like into the container body can be prevented. Further, since this container is formed of a rigid material, it is possible to suppress a change in the shape of the container due to a difference in pressure between the inside and outside of the container. Therefore, even if the pressure in the ink package is reduced by the extraction of the ink, the container body is not crushed by the external pressure, and the negative pressure in the ink package encapsulated therein can be maintained.
Therefore, a negative pressure can be applied to the ink supplied to the print head without separately providing an ink supply pressure adjusting means for applying a negative pressure to the ink. As a result, there is an effect that the number of components of a printing apparatus using such an ink cartridge can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, since the film material forming the ink package has a laminated structure in which a plurality of film sheets made of polyethylene resin or the like are laminated, the film is formed with a needle for ink extraction inserted into the ink package. When ink is extracted, the film material forming the ink package comes into close contact with ink extraction needles or the like. Therefore,
This has the effect of preventing ink leakage from the gap between the ink extraction needle and the like and the film material and intrusion of air or the like. In addition, since infiltration of air and the like into the ink package is prevented, mixing of air and the like into the ink supplied to the print head is prevented, and there is an effect that the ink discharge property of the print head can be maintained.

According to the ink cartridge of the second aspect, in addition to the effects of the ink cartridge of the first aspect, the portion of the outer surface of the ink sealing portion of the ink package opposed to the opening of the container body is provided. Since it is formed in a substantially flat or concave shape, there is an effect that a needle for ink extraction or the like can be easily inserted into the ink sealing portion of the ink package.

According to the ink cartridge of the third aspect, in addition to the effects of the ink cartridge of the second aspect, the outer surface formed in a substantially flat or concave shape in the ink sealing portion of the ink package is formed of a film. It can be formed by welding both sides of the material.
Therefore, it is not necessary to separately attach a member for forming the outer surface of the ink package to be substantially flat or concave, so that the manufacturing process of the ink cartridge can be simplified. .

According to the ink cartridge of the present invention, since the opening of the container is covered with the airtight holding member, the airtightness of the container can be maintained even if an ink extraction needle or the like is inserted. The property is maintained, and intrusion of air or the like into the container body can be prevented. Further, since this container is formed of a rigid material, it is possible to suppress a change in the shape of the container due to a difference in pressure between the inside and outside of the container. Therefore, even if the pressure inside the container drops due to the extraction of the ink, the container is not crushed by the external pressure, and the negative pressure inside the container can be maintained. Therefore, a negative pressure can be applied to the ink supplied to the print head without separately providing an ink supply pressure adjusting means for applying a negative pressure to the ink. As a result, there is an effect that the number of components of a printing apparatus using such an ink cartridge can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

According to the ink cartridge of the fifth aspect, in addition to the effect of the ink cartridge of the first aspect, the airtight holding member includes a plurality of film sheets made of polyethylene resin or the like. Since it is formed of a film material having a laminated structure in which
When the ink extraction needle or the like is inserted into the opening of the container, the airtight holding member and the ink extraction needle or the like come into close contact with each other. Therefore, since the airtightness of the container body is maintained, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent the leakage of ink from the gap between the ink extraction needle or the like and the film material and the intrusion of air or the like. In addition, since infiltration of air or the like into the container is prevented, there is an effect that the negative pressure applied to the container can be maintained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a desktop printer using an ink cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial conceptual view of a nozzle portion of a print head.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship between an outer diameter of an ink extraction member and a pressing force applied to an ink package.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ink cartridge.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a desktop printer according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a desktop printer according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Desktop printer 2 Printer main body 3 Printer cartridge 4 Platen roller 5 LF motor 6 Carriage 7 Carriage motor 15 PC card 17 Guide rod 21, 121, 221, 222 Print head 21a Nozzle part 21b Nozzle port 22 Ink extraction member 22a Ink extraction port 23 Ink supply tube 30 Ink cartridge 31 Cartridge main body (part of container) 31a Through hole (opening) 31b Seal member (airtight holding member) 32 Cartridge lid (part of container) 33 Ink package 33a Ink sealing part 33b Depressed portion (outer surface of ink sealed portion) 33c, 33d Welded portion (both sides welded) 33e Welded portion d Outer diameter M Meniscus PP Printing paper w Thickness

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takamitsu Kawai 15-1 Naeshiro-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya-city Inside Brother Industries, Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Claims] An ink package formed of a film material having a laminated structure in which a plurality of film sheets made of polyethylene resin or the like are sealed while sealing ink used for printing supplied to a print head; A container body formed of a rigid material for enclosing the ink package, an opening provided in a part of the container body, and an airtight holding member that covers the opening and holds the airtightness of the container body An ink cartridge comprising: 2. The ink package according to claim 1, further comprising an ink sealing portion for sealing the ink, and a portion of the outer surface of the ink sealing portion facing the opening of the container is formed in a substantially flat or concave shape. The ink cartridge according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The substantially flat or concave outer surface of the ink sealing portion is formed on a surface intersecting the welded both sides by welding both sides of the film material. The ink cartridge according to claim 2, wherein: 4. A container made of a rigid material to be supplied to a print head and filled with ink used for printing, an opening provided in a part of the container, and a cover covering the opening. And an airtight holding member for holding the airtightness of the container body. 5. The airtight holding member is formed of a film material having a laminated structure in which a plurality of film sheets composed of a polyethylene resin or the like are laminated. An ink cartridge according to claim 1.